A more than chaotic build-up could see Sunday's 'Klassieker' derby between Ajax and Feyenoord become the most influential match-up in years.

No game in Dutch football holds as much weight as the storied 'Klassieker' between Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord Rotterdam. The sworn enemies will face off for the 206th time in history and even with all the drama between the two teams, little build-ups will have been more chaotic than this week's rollercoaster ride.

After an additional weekend of resting, both Ajax and Feyenoord were primed to play the final games of their respective European League Phases. Feyenoord traveled to the French city of Lille with the objective to clinch a spot in the Champions League's top 8, whereas Ajax were preparing to face Turkish giants Galatasaray after suffering a humiliating loss to Latvian side RFS the week before.

After Feyenoord got off to a competitive start, the wheels came off the bus after both goalkeeper Justin Bijlow and top goalscorer Santiago Gimenez suffered injuries in the first half. These setbacks prompted a historic drop-off for Feyenoord on their way to a record-tying 6-1 loss - tied for the biggest loss for a Dutch side in European competition history.

Ajax could theoretically still drop out of the top 24 of the Europa League but rebounded strongly from their loss in Latvia by beating the Turkish champions 2-1 thanks to goals from Bertrand Traoré and Kian Fitz-Jim.

But even before the Dutch teams could process their European results, the ever inevitable transfer drama hit both sides in almost unprecedented fashion.

According to Dutch reports, right after Feyenoord left the pitch in Northern France, their Mexican superstar Santiago Gimenez demanding a transfer after two-and-a-half years at the club thanks to Italian giants AC Milan approaching Feyenoord for a transfer of the striker.

A lightning fast transfer saga saw Gimenez's move to Milan near completion just 48 hours after the final whistle in Lille, after which the Mexican flew to Milan less than 24 hours later. With his pending transfer just a matter of time, Feyenoord will have to play Sunday's 'Klassieker' without a single fully fit striker.

On the other side of the derby, Ajax saw a tumultuous transfer window get even more dramatic when captain Jordan Henderson demanded a move away from Ajax after AS Monaco approached the Dutch record champions for a transfer of the Englishman.

Henderson arrived at Ajax in January of 2024 after a short Saudi adventure at Al-Ettifaq and has seen the club rise from some of its lowest of lows. However, this didn't stop the 81-time English international from demanding a transfer on the day of Ajax's final Europa League game against Galatasaray.

Dutch media spoke of a heated phone call between Henderson and technical director Alex Kroes in which the former demanded a transfer to the Monegasque club and even threatened to leave on a free transfer. 

The ordeal made Henderson give away his captain's armband just moments before that evening's kick-off, handing the captaincy to goalkeeper Remko Pasveer instead. After Henderson refused to celebrate Fitz-Jim's 2-0 and later wouldn't join his team-mates during a lap around the stadium.

This attitude prompted Kroes to head down to the locker room and have a conversation with the club captain. With a fellow board member next to him, Henderson reportedly apologised for his behaviour and vowed to stay at the club.

The drama around Henderson almost perfectly embodies the transfer window Ajax are having. With a scarcity of wingers in the squad, Francesco Farioli had to improvise more than once in the first half of the season. However, Ajax announced the arrival of Norwegian winger Oliver Edvardsen just a couple days before the January transfer window shuts.

But just as rocky as things can go at Ajax, as inconvenient was the fact that the club failed to register their newest acquisition in time for him to be eligible to play in the derby. With left winger Mika Godts out and his stand-in Chuba Akpom on his way to Lille, Farioli will have to improvise yet again.

And with results elsewhere in the Eredivisie, this 206th Klassieker could be one of the most consequential in recent memory.

League leaders PSV boasted a 4-point lead before this weekend's action commenced but blew a 3-1 lead with a few minutes to go in the away game at NEC Nijmegen. Ajax will have keenly taken note of PSV's misstep in the East of the country, knowing a win against Feyenoord would close the gap to PSV to just two points whilst also having a game in hand.

Feyenoord, however, are in a very different situation with Danish manager Brian Priske under heavy scrutiny after a series of disappointing results. A famous Champions League 3-0 win against Bayern Munich helped Priske retain his job for the time being but the devastating loss in Lille put Priske right back at square one.

With two crucial games coming up - Feyenoord travel to Eindhoven to face PSV in the KNVB Cup quarter-finals - Priske will have to pick up at least one positive result and have his team show a competitive spirit in order to have a chance of keeping the coveted Feyenoord job.

Priske has managed Feyenoord in easier circumstances with first goalkeeper Justin Bijlow out for the rest of the season after suffering another season-ending injury. The unfortunate goalkeeper has missed extended time in every season of his career and has missed more games due to injury (192) than he has played (159).

But even with all that's at stake, nothing in the Klassieker beats the sheer bad blood between these two historical enemies.

A book with 205 chapters which dates back to October 21st 1921 when Feyenoord and Ajax met for the first time in history. The story began with a 2-2 draw at the former Kromme Zandweg stadium in Rotterdam.

Ever since that now historic day, Ajax have had the upper hand in the biggest Dutch derby of them all with 93 wins. Feyenoord claimed the bragging rights on 62 occasions and 49 times the points were shared.

But even with the historic dominance, Ajax will look to win their first Klassieker at home since 2022 when Erik ten Hag's men beat Feyenoord 3-2 after erasing a one-goal deficit on two occasions. The one meeting in Amsterdam since then resulted in a devastating 4-0 loss after riots in and around the stadium caused the original game to be postponed.

The Klassieker, just like most derbies, is a game on its own. In the Netherlands there's nothing like it. In terms of stakes, nothing comes close. In terms of honor, nowhere is there more to be won. All elements proven by the overwhelming turnout to both team's final practices before the big game.

The derby between Ajax and Feyenoord will kick off at 14.30 CET in the Johan Cruyff ArenA in Amsterdam.